Shoulder pad



April 20, 1948. F. scHuLMAN SHOULDER PAD Filed Sept. 3, 1946 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

pril 2 LMAN SHO

ULDER PA ed S epi

hee

cN TOR pr. zo, 194s Maasai lUNITI-:D STATES PATENT ori-ics l .Y I l snomtlran l Frank Schulmankliouisville, Ky.

application september s. 194e, serai Ne. 694,415

gcnm. (c1. z-zss) This invention relates to shoulder pads and while it is designed for use in ,various types of outer garments, it is intended primarily for use inthe shoulder portions of womens clothing.

It is an object of the invention to provide a very light but strong pad which can be worn comfortably, will not cause discomfort during warm weather, and is especially useful for the purpose of equalizing the shoulders of the garment when it is worn by a person having one shoulder lower than the other.

A further object is to provide a pad which can.

vthe invention consists of certain novel details of construction and combinations of hereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims, it being understood that changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

In the accompanying drawings the preferred form of theinvention has been shown.

In said drawing Figure 1' is a perspective view of aportion of a garment equipped with one of the pads, portions of the garment being broken away.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the pad.

Figure 3 is a vertical longitudinal section therethrough taken substantially on the line I-l. Fig. 2.

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the blank from which the top or-iinishing piece of the shoulder pad is formed.

Figure 5 is a perspective view of the blank from which the top stiffening piece of the pad is to be formed.

j. '2 and has been indicatec\i at I. It is -made of a `suitable stiifening fabric, such as buckram and has an elongated V-shaped slit 2 extending toward the apex 3 of the blank from the center of vthe broad end or base of the blank. This base edge can be arcuate and has wings 5 extending therefrom adjacent to opposite sides of the blank. I'he lower or supplemental stiffening portion of the pad comprises two members C and I also formed preferably ofbuckram or the like. The member t is substantiallysegmental with an arcuate base edge VI having short V-shaped slits 9 extending thereinto from the base edge l and dividing the base or broad end portion of the member I into separate portions Il forming wings.' A shallow V-shaped recess I I is provided in the member l at the small end thereof.r The member l is of astiifening fabric such as buckram and has g base edges I 2 adapted to match the fof the reoessll. The side edges of the m 'I vconverge as indicated 'at Il and exiena to an abrupt v-snaped termina portion u.

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the blanks from which the lower or supplemental stiifening pieces are produced.

Figure 'I isa perspective view of the blank from which the stiffening band is to be shaped.

Figure 8 is a perspective view of a portion of A stitching band Il also formed preferably of buckram or the like constitutes another member of the stiil'ening structure of the pad and has a V-shapcdslit *II extending thereinto from one edge.

In addition to the foregoing parts there is provided a top finishing member I'I formed of any suitable soft material which has the same general configuration as the stiilening member I,

with the exception that the arcuate base edge Il thereof is adapted substantially to match the corresponding edges of the wings 5 and to bridge the space between the wings and also the slit 2. V-shaped slits Il are extended into the base edge portion oi the member I'I.

The sixth and last member of the pad is in the form of a lining member 20 formed of a suitable softbut strong material having substantially the same configuration as the member I'I, although it is not formed with slits.

In assembling the parts of the pad, the edges y of the slit 2 are drawn together and sewed down onto the stiifening member 6. Thus the parts I. will be positioned between the wings! as indicated by broken linesin Fig. 5. The stiifening member 1 is applied to the small end of the member l and stitched to the member I. This will give the parts a rounded orshallow dome-like contour. Thereafter the structure is further stiil'ened by stitching the band Il to the undersurface of the member i after the band has been distorted by closing together the edges of the slit It. The cover or finishing member Il is then applied to the member I and drawn taut in a transverse direction priorto being stitched thereto. Thus it provides a snug t on the top surface of the stiiening member I. The edges of the slits 9 are fastened together so as to give the member an abrupt upwardly curved effect along the base edges of the members and by subsequently inturning the 4slit edge of the member I1 and stitching it to the bottom of the member '8, a smooth top finish will be provided and the parts will be held against spreading along the slit portions thereof. The nal step in the assembly of the parts comprises stitching the lining 20 to the side edges of the members I and 6 after which a dart 2I is formed in the lining. This will cause the lining to be shortened and will cause the stiiiening members and the top or cover member I'I to bow transversely. Thus the resultant pad will consist of the lining 20 shortened by the dart 2| and the upwardly bowed stiffening members joined at their margins to the lining as indicated at 22. If the slit ends of the stiiening members are drawn together and secured as explained, said members will be bowed not only from side to side but will also be provided with an abrupt upwardly extended base portion 23 merging into a gradually curved portion 23 leading to the apex 24 of the pad. The

space between the stiffening members and the lining 20 is hollow and the band I5 as well as the stiiiening members to which it is attached cooperate to produce a bridge effect which will stand up under the ordinary weight of the shoulder portion of a garment. Obviously by increasing or reducing the size of the dart, the bow in the pad canv be increased or reduced. Thus the pad is adjustable readily to increase or reduce the height of the shoulder of the garment resting on the pad.

The pad can be attached to the garment G by any suitable means as by snap fasteners 25 located at the corner portions of the pad.

What is claimed is:

1. A shoulder pad for outer garments including superposed connected thicknesses of stiening fabric, one of said thicknesses having an elongated V-shaped slit the edge portionsy of which are drawn together and stitched to the other thicknesses of said material, there being V-shaped slits extending into the base portions of the stiifening materials, the edge portions of said slits being gathered together, the covering material tted snugly upon the stiilening material and having inturned edges stitched to the stiiening material, the edges of the slits in the base portion of the stiffening material being stitched together thereby to impart to the pad an abrupt upwardly curved contour along the said base portion, and a lining secured to the side portions of the stiiening members, there being a dart in the lining for holding the lining taut and maintaining a transverse bow in the stiffening members whereby said members are held spaced from the lining between their edges.

2. A shoulder pad for outer garments including superposed connected thicknesses of stiffening fabric, one of said thicknesses having an elongated V-shaped slit the edge portions of which are drawn together and stitched to the other thicknesses of said material, there bein V-shaped slits extending into the base portions of the stiffening materials, the edge portions of said slits being gathered together, the covering material fitted snugly upon the stiffening material and having inturned edges stitched to the stiftening material, the edges of the slits in the base portion of the stiii'ening material being stitched together thereby to impart to the pad an abrupt upwardly curved contour along the said base portion, a band of stiffening material extending transversely of and stitched to the stiffening members close to the slits in said members, and a lining secured to the side portions of the stiifening members. there being a dart in the lining for holding the lining taut and maintaining a transverse bow in the stiifening members whereby said members are held' spaced from the lining between their edges'. l

3. A shoulder pad for outer garments including superposed connected membersl of thin stiifening fabric having slits therein, the side edges of each slit being held together, thereby to provide a thin and relatively exible pad of substantially domeshaped configuration, and a taut lining having its marginal edges connected to opposed marginal edges of the stifi'ening members, said lining being so formed as to have when connected to the stiff ening members a smaller distance between its edges than the normal distance between the edges of the stiffening members, whereby to determine the transverse contour of the pad, and to define an open space between the lining and the superposed stiiiening members.

4. A shoulder pad for outer garments including superposed thicknesses of stiiening fabric, one of said thicknesses having an elongated V-shaped slit the opposed edges of which are held together, thereby to imparta transverse curvature to the material, there being V-shaped slits extending into the base portion yof each thickness of material, said edges being joined to impart an abrupt upward curve to the base portions of said thicknesses, a lining secured at its marginal edges to opposed marginal edges of the superposed thicknesses, said lining being otherwise non-connected to the superposed thicknesses and a dart in the lining adapted to maintain said lining taut whereby to hold the connected thicknesses of material in an upwardly bowed conflguration, said lining being spaced apart from said thicknesses intermediate its connections thereto.

FRANK SCHULMAN.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the Glickman July 30, 1946 

